Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Sun Tzu said: What is war? It may be described as one of the most important affairs to the state. It is the ground* of death or life of both soldiers and people, and the way* that governs the survival or the ruin of the state. So we must deliberately examine and study it.

Therefore we should analyse and compare the conditions of ourselves and an enemy from five factors in order to forecast if we will win before the beginning of war. The five factors are as follows: the first is way; the second, heaven; the third, earth; the fourth, generals or commanders, and the firth, law.

What is the way? The way may make the people in complete accord with their ruler in their goals and cause them to share weal and woe fearlessly during the war. What is the heaven? The heaven means day and night, cold and heat, and the sequence of the seasons.

What is the earth? The earth signifies whether the battleground is distant or near, whether the terrain is strategically difficult or secure, vast or narrow, and whether conditions are favourable or unfavourable to the chance of survival.

What is the general or commander? The general or commander may be one who is a high ranking military officer with five virtues: intelligence, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage, and sternness.

What is the law? The law refers to the military establishment, the assignment of officers at all levels, and the allocation and use of military supplies.

Whoever leads soldiers to fight must be familiar with the above-mentioned five factors. Only he who thoroughly understands them can win victory. If he is not well versed in these, he may be defeated. Therefore, in order to analyse and compare the conditions of the opposing sides according to a scheme to determine whether our side will win or not, the following questions should be asked:

Which ruler is the one who is popular with the people?

Which general is the one who has ability?

Which side has the more favourable climate and the advantageous terrain?

Whose discipline is more effective?

Which side possesses military superiority?

Which side has soldiers and officers that are better trained?

Whose system of rewards and punishments is fairer and clearer?

We may forecast the outcome of a battle if we have a careful consideration of them.

The general who adopts my schemes or stratagems will surely win while commanding at the front, and will surely retain his general's position. If he does not adopt my advice, he will certainly suffer defeat at the front, and will not keep his post.

The general, having paid attention to my useful schemes or stratagems, must establish his force which will help him realize his plan. What is force? It means that a general should formulate his tactics according to what is expedient.

Any military operation takes deception as its basic quality. A commander who is competent should pretend to be incompetent, he who is ready to use military force should pretend to delay his action; he whose troops draw near the enemy should make it seem as if his troops were still far away; and he whose troops are far away from the enemy should let the enemy believe he is drawing near. A good commander must offer a bait to allure the enemy who covets small advantages, capture the enemy when he is in disorder, take precautions against the enemy who has good preparation and substantial strength, evade for a time the enemy while he is strong, enrage the enemy who is hot-tempered, pretend to be weak in order to make the enemy arrogant or haughty, wear the enemy out if he has taken a good rest, set one party against another within the enemy if they are united. A commander must understand how to attack where the enemy is unprepared, and hit when it is unexpected. All the above-mentioned is the key to military victory, but it is never possible to formulate a fixed plan beforehand.

It gives a general greater advantage to win to make military decisions in the temple* even before fighting a battle, and less advantage if he makes no military decision in the temple before doing battle. He who plans and prepares carefully will find himself in a favourable position and win victory; he who does so carelessly will find himself in an unfavourable position and win no victory. How much worse off it is for those who do not prepare carefully at all. In this way, we can see clearly who may win and who may lose. *make military decision in the temple: doing battle is a matter of vital importance to the nation , the generals must hold a ceremony for military actions and forecasting the outcome of war.

FOREVER BRUCE LEE

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Champions aren't made in gyms, champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.-Muhammad AliI'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.- Terry PratchettNot to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality.- Bertrand RussellWhat we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.Sometimes what's right isn't as important as what's profitable.- Trey Parker and Matt StoneThere are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating: people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing.- Oscar WildeSometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?"/ Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."- Charles M. SchulzThere is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.- Johann Wolfgang von GoetheThe significance of man is that he is insignificant and is aware of it.- Carl BeckerA lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.- Mark Twain"If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher's stone." So said Benjamin Franklin more than 200 years ago. How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.- Benjamin DisraeliOf course the game is rigged. Don't let that stop you--if you don't play, you can't win.- Robert HeinleinAbility will never catch up with the demand for it.- Malcolm ForbesNo man remains quite what he was when he recognizes himself.- Thomas MannNo man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.- Elbert HubbardThere is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.- Mary Wilson LittleBooks to the ceiling,/ Books to the sky,/ My pile of books is a mile high./ How I love them! How I need them!/ I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.- Arnold LobelLeif Ostling said in a statement that his comments about Germany had been "interpreted in a way that was not intended."If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.- Sir Francis Bacon"It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting."- Tom StoppardElections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody.- Franklin P. AdamsInvention is the mother of necessity.- Thorstein VeblenDon't try to solve serious matters in the middle of the night.- Philip K. Dick